Board split over replacement member

March 30, 2013

CHARLES TOWN - The empty blue chair between Gary Kable and Mariland Lee was not filled even after Jefferson County Board of Education members met in special session Friday afternoon to discuss a successor for Pete Dougherty.

Thanks to a split vote by board members, no decision will be made until at least the next regular board meeting April 8.

While Kable and Lee supported former BOE member Larry Togans, Scott Sudduth and Mark Osbourn favored another former board member, Alan Sturm.

Kable said Togans had been both a board member and president, adding that he would be able to "hit the ground running and be an asset to the educational system."

Lee said Togans would offer a "fresh perspective" as the board faces a tight budget. She also said he would have no personal agenda other than doing what is best for taxpayers and citizens.

While the current situation being faced by BOE members is unique, Sudduth also said it is an "issue that really belongs to the voters - not the board."

Sudduth said he would have preferred that criteria were established to encourage community members to apply to fill the remainder of this unexpired term.

Adding that he'd "heard many great things" about Togans, Sudduth said he had never met or heard from him despite having been one of three individuals - including Sturm and Laurie Ogden - who had expressed interest in this appointment.

Osbourn cited Sturm's more recent experience, noting that it had been less than one year since he left the board to spend more time with grandchildren.

Both he and Sudduth agreed Sturm is well known in the community, including his days as an educator.

In the end, however, the discussion did not resolve the deadlock.

Time is of the essence, since state law mandates that a replacement be named within 45 days and that deadline is April 13, according to Kable. Dougherty resigned March 5 when he left to fill the remainder of former sheriff Robert "Bobby" Shirley's term.

Several audience members, who came to support Togans' nomination, expressed some regret that he had not yet captured the appointment.

The Rev. Donald F. Taylor Sr., accompanied by other Jefferson County Black Clergy members, said he had hoped there would be an opportunity for the public to address the nominations.

"But really, I thought it should have been quite an open and closed thing for Mr. Togans," Taylor said.

Gary Dugan said he felt Ogden would be a "good, compromise candidate" since she had shown an interest in the position and had also run for the board in the last two elections.

"She only lost to Scott (Sudduth) by less than 100 votes in 2010 and to Gary (Kable) by less than 400 votes in the last election," Dugan said.

Speaking after the meeting, Kable said the board had not formally asked the public for nominations or input on the selection process. Since the agenda item will be under old business at the next meeting, that will allow public participation prior to a possible decision, he said.

It is also still possible for citizens to contact board members directly to suggest a nominee or express their support for a specific individual, Kable said.

Sudduth, who had questioned the selection process during the meeting discussion, said he isn't sure if a citizen will be allowed to nominate an appointee at the upcoming meeting.

He also said nominees were not solicited, but couldn't say why.

"That's probably a question for the president, since he is driving this. I think that if we can't come to consensus on a candidate, then there should be a process for the community to drive some input. And we also need to make clear to the community what the criteria are," Sudduth said following the meeting.